First Grading – An article by Carrianne Hausdoerfer

My first grading was scary; I won’t lie, especially when in any situation I get nervous. That is one of the many things Kung Fu does, which is to improve your confidence.
I went over it with my instructor; what to expect and practicing my pattern every lesson and asking my instructor how I could improve it and what I was doing right/wrong, several times. Then I would practice it every day, a few times, at home. If I wasn’t sure on anything I made a note of it and asked my instructor next time.
The grading involved combinations so the instructors can see what you have learnt, they don’t grade you on them, and my pattern. I was so nervous in case my pattern went wrong that I was concentrating so much on it that I can’t actually remember it.
I couldn’t have done it without my instructors support, help, encouragement and confidence in me.
After all that I now know what to expect in my next grading, which won’t stop me being nervous, but nerves are good because they make you perform better.
When I was sitting there afterwards I thought that I had failed because I had messed up my combinations and I thought that everyone was doing it much better than I had.
When I was told at the end that I had passed I was just so relieved and immediately made a target to do much better at my next grading. I was still annoyed that I had messed up but my instructor pointed out that everyone else had been doing it longer and was proud of how well my pattern had gone.

Carrianne Hausdoerfer
Eastbourne student